Time to build the trail
I was disturbed by the story in Saturday’s Concord Monitor about a request from Scenic Rail Riders to NHDOT asking it to intervene in the pending sale of the rail right of way between Concord and Boscowen.
It has been more than four years since the City of Concord first agreed to purchase this property from Pan AM and about ten years since the line was officially “abandoned.” Plans to build a trail go back even further.
While it is easy to have empathy for the owner of Scenic Rail Riders, it was fully disclosed that this was a potential trail, and they have known since before establishing their business that making this into a public facility was likely to happen. I believe they have been offered the opportunity to continue to operate if they pay for any design changes and construction necessary to accommodate both the trail and their railcars. This seems eminently fair.
Scenic Rail Riders should be grateful for the years it has been able to operate. It is time for them to pay cost of the upgrade or find another location. I wish them success in their quest but it is time to move forward.